Despite its shortcomings, the Nintendo Wii U brought about a fun new way to play games that combines a handheld personal screen with your television set. But chances are you've already got a smartphone and don't necessarily want to shell out another $300 or more for a console. The good news? You can get the Wii U experience on the smartphone you already have with the help of a few apps.

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Your smartphone wasn't designed to operate like the Wii U, but that doesn't mean it can't. The folks over at Apartment Therapy Tech figured out a few ways to emulate the experience. We have a few more. Read on for information about your specific device.

iPhone (and Other iDevices)

A number of recent iDevices (such as the iPhone 4S and 5, iPad 3, 4, and mini, and the iPod touch 5G) support AirPlay mirroring, which allows you to send your mobile's screen over to a television or computer. This means you can use your device like a controller but see the game on the big screen as well. As Apartment Therapy Tech points out, this is very easy to accomplish if you already have an Apple TV as it acts like a receiver. All you have to do is send your device's signal to it using these steps:

Double-press your device's home button to bring up the multitasking bar.

Swipe from left to right (twice on an iPhone or iPod touch) to gain access to the volume controls.

Tap the AirPlay icon.

Choose an AirPlay receiver, such as the AppleTV.

Proceed to play a game!

Of course, not all games work perfectly with AirPlay Mirroring, but you can find out which ones are supported here.

What do you do if you don't have an Apple TV? You can still mirror your device on your Mac or Windows PC with a handy app called AirServer. It acts as a receiver for AirPlay video on your computer, just like the Apple TV. As far as your iDevice knows, it is. You connect to it using the same steps outlined above.

Android

Android doesn't have a feature exactly like AirPlay Mirroring, but that doesn't mean you can't use your phone or tablet for a Wii U-like gaming experience. For starters, Apartment Therapy Tech suggests using WanderPlayer, as it will turn your mobile into a controller for PC-based games. Alternatively, if you want true mirroring, you can pick up an nScreen which connects your TV and mirrors your Android's screen (using the nScreen Mirroring app, that is). Of course, many Android devices simply support HDMI output. If you don't mind wiring it to your television set, you can play on your Android and your TV no problem. For more on all the great things you can do over HDMI with your Android, check out our guide.